For decades, Louisianians have expressed their distrust of public officials by imposing legal restrictions on how state government can spent most of its revenues.

That has not stopped instances of waste and public corruption. Instead, it has made health care and education the largest discretionary items in the state budget -- and the most vulnerable to massive cuts in times of crisis.

A whopping 391 state funds are protected under the Constitution or other state law. That means officials cannot significantly cut spending in those areas during emergencies or to balance the budget, regardless of how inefficient or unnecessary some of those services may be.

Those restrictions have painted us into a fiscal corner. About 54 percent of the $9.7 billion in state revenues this year had to be spent on specific uses. That leaves only $4.2 billion free to spread around as needed, and the vast majority -- $3.7 billion -- went to health and education.

With the state expecting a shortfall of between $1.2 billion and $1.6 billion, education and health care are set to suffer the brunt of the cuts needed to plug the hole.

Gov. Jindal is proposing to raise, from 5 percent to 10 percent, the portion of protected programs that his office can cut when shortfalls loom -- a change that would require voters' approval. He also wants annual performance reviews of protected programs to evaluate their effectiveness, among other proposals.

Lawmakers and all Louisianians need to consider these ideas carefully. And the governor should be prepared to make his case, to lawmakers and the public, and to face some entrenched interests who may fight to keep the current restrictions.

But it's clear that in tight times our fiscal straitjacket forces us to sacrifice essential services, like education and medical care, while leaving less important areas untouched.